In my twilight years I have grown silver,
weaved inside my hair and aging thoughts.
It reminds me of the first time I saw a star
beneath the first aurora hint of a bran new dawn;
All the firsts of my life have been sifted
like panned up gold between my fingers
Sieved through, held brief and then let go
inside this aging heart the memory remains ;
I once was ever altered like the shades of my hair
today I'm much more constant and alert
as I watch the passing storm from my window
I feel like a lamp post blazing in the snow
Lit up at dusk and closed after dawn
I feel like an iron metal post, though I am water,
holding up a dam of love inside my soul,
for all the ones I love, loved and continue to love.
Your Vienna
When you reach your twilight years,
It is important to keep an active mind,
Do everything possible to minimize fears
Leave resentments and regrets far behind,
Try not to dwell on all your pet peeves,
But seek out the positives in your life
Stand firmly for your cherished beliefs,
Avoid headaches from pettiness and strife.
Keep in mind you’ve only your life to live
So, try not to take on the lives of others,
Remember it is always more blessed to give
Through serving your sisters and brothers.
Lastly, try not to succumb to needless worry
Or becoming entangled in all kinds of grief
Take your time, there’s no need to hurry
Old-fashioned rocking chairs bring such relief!
#31 on Best New Poems List
April 27, 2022
POEM OF THE DAY
Poetry Soup
April 21, 2022
Written April 19, 2022
Held fast by poetry and Beaudelaire
in a pencil skirt worn on Sunday rare
she enrolls and returns to school again
hoping for a chance of way back when
with solemn vow she pivots towards light
it shines like umpteen candles in the night
so strong is her desire to learn she glows
with every grade she aces now she knows
that life is a hindsight with second chances
when we believe, then we begin to dance
her Valedictory speech a brim of tears
thus a joyous moment in her twilight years
etched in the stars, a gratitude's soft bless
etched in her soul, a joy she can't suppress.
7/8/2019
Sponsor: William Kekaula
The most beautiful sonnet
Can we talk about love in the twilight years
Ain't not no expert I must confess
But the older I get, find myself ogling young ladies
Might even think this old guy's obsessed
Not at all my friends, I can take 'em or leave 'em
Now what the hell am I saying
Prettying up the landscape more than us guys
Hope there's plenty upstairs I'm praying
How boring to live an eternity without ladies
Sure wouldn't look forward to that
Rather go down below where the bad girls are
They'd certainly adjust my thermostat
I've led a clean life for the most part I'd say
But for a couple of minor infractions
Like running around with a bunch of loose women
All part of a young lad's passion
Let's talk about love, a favourite subject of mine
Ain't not no expert I must confess
The older I become, the more decrepit and sad
Going to miss seeing girlies undress
© Jack Ellison 2015
Twilight Years
( Ameri Sonnet)
Being guided the right way
When I am failing to cope
Enriching life day by day
Hearing whispers, words of hope.
Thanking the Lord for His love
For the blessed guiding light
Turning all my thoughts above
When there seems no end insight.
But with faith I always find
Brighter days within my life
And the gift of peace and mind
It helps to bear stress and strife
And the twilights of the year
They have filled my heart with cheer.
Ameri-Sonnet as described by the creator Richard W. Jenkins
14-lines in seven syllables each,
with a rhyme-scheme as follows:abab, cdcd, efef, gg
Childhood-
remembered,seen
as yesterday pictures
without perspective,through a lens
close-up.
Passion
Dwindles away,
Togerherness kindles
Around fidelity's spoken
Promise.
With vision diffuse and fragile frame,
These, the twilight years commence,
Yet arms to hold each other close
Seem no less fierce, less intense.
What smacked of callow rapidity,
The rush of youth and virgin bud,
Is mellowed, matured throughout the span
Of decades steeping in the blood.
The two of us in sunset swathe,
As now, these twilight years enfold,
Together we endure and sense
The perfect love in growing old.
Looking for the formal definition, structure, and history of this poetry form? Visit the Poetry Dictionary entry below. Then return to explore how PoetrySoup members bring the form to life through their own poems.